2025

Carol Purves Carol's Blog

This is the start of another year and an opportunity for new beginnings. Do you remember when we approached the year 2000 with the hopes and aspirations we had then. We also feared that technology would fail and no computers would work when the year date had three zeros in it. None of these things happened. Sadly, I even think we have more global wars now than we did then.

More than ever we can pray the words of the carol ‘Oh hush your noise, you men of strife and hear the angels sing.’ Edmund Sears. The world is a noisier place than it used to be . Music, though not always recognizable as such, blares out from every shop we enter and many car stereo systems. Our ears are assailed at every point. It seems we can’t cope with silence. With more noise, we hear less.

This is quite a sad picture, but we don’t need to be overcome by it. We need to listen to the still, small voice of God and we can do so in our hearts, whatever is happening around us. On the whole He won’t shout at us (though sometimes we need it).We need to treasure our Quiet Time or that period when it is just God and us. How can we obey if we don’t hear and listen?

May we listen to the angels, give ourselves the opportunity to obey with Gideon and with Samuel may we say ‘Speak Lord, your servant hears.’

No Teaching Necessary

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‘No longer will they teach their neighbours, or say to one another ‘Know the Lord’ because they will know me.’ Hebrews 8:11

It is never easy telling others about God, at least I don’t fine it so. In my country there is a hesitancy in talking about spiritual matters. There is a feeling that ‘my faith is a personal thing,’ but that is not how God wants it to be. We are told in the Bible ‘Go into all the world teaching and baptising.’ Matthew 28.

As we have just read in Hebrews it would be great if we didn’t have to evangelise because everyone would know Him. Sadly this is not the case. Again, in my country God is being known less and less. He is seldom taught about in schools and not automatically talked about in families.

Our job of telling others about God is more and more important than ever, but we can’t just go out and shout about Him willy-nilly. We are yolked together with God; we need the help of the Holy Spirit. How can we possibly know the state of our listeners’ hearts? We do not know who has a fertile soul? Where is the stony ground and where it will be unprofitable to speak?

Unable to Speak

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We probably are not as appreciative of our power of speech as we should be. Recently my friend had a chest infection and lost his voice as well. A proper conversation with him was impossible at that time. I thought about Zechariah unable to speak for a period of months. During that time he wouldn’t have been able to speak kind words to his family or lead his community with encouragement.

Neither would he have been able to speak harsh or unkind words. No doubt there have been times when we wish we had never spoken or regret the words we have said. Zechariah wouldn’t have had any such soul-searching at this time. The letter of James urges us to watch what we say.

On reading my Bible notes it was pointed that probably this priest also suffered from deafness. This idea was gained from Luke 1:62 ‘And they made signs to his father.’ Does this point to the fact that he was also deaf? What a lonely period this must have been for him!

Not Punishment but Preparation

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Life does often throw up some difficult situations and we can find ourselves struggling in the storms of life. We never know what will happen to us on any given day. Our storms can be personal, loss of health, loss of friends and family, loss of job. There are times when these problems don’t come singly. Some storms might be slightly less personal, but still devastating, trouble in the neighbourhood, difficulties in the church or wars and threats of war.

Trouble is never welcome, we don’t want it, but it will come. Reading in the Bible it was sometimes thought that sickness was the result of sin, as in the healing of the blind man ‘Who sinned this man or his parents? John 9:1. Fortunately Jesus explained that it was not punishment. Trials can be a time of spiritual growth, a period of preparation. Down through the ages men and women have attested to the fact that in the ‘down times’ they have been closer to God; they have been upheld in a supernatural way. Our spiritual growth is in times of difficulties.

Joseph probably learned more in the pit and prison than he did in the palace. It was a time of preparation for the important periods he had ahead. While things were going well he could boast in his dreams and multi-coloured coat. With these privileges came arrogance; when the chips were down he came face to face with God and had his times of spiritual growth. It can be the same for us.

Contentment

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Goodness with contentment is great gain.’ 1 Timothy 8:6

This verse made me think about my contentment, am I as contented as I should be? And i wonder if you are as contented as you should be? We have every reason to be happy. We are taught and truly believe that goods and possessions will never bring happiness and we know relationships can sour. True contentment is only through Jesus Christ. When are hearts are truly full of praise and thankfulness we will find true peace.

At this time of year we are thinking of the birth of Jesus, the source of our salvation. When we have Jesus we have all we can ever need. Our contentment can bubble up into joy. In this same chapter we are urged to ‘pursue gentleness, godliness, faith and endurance. These virtues will build to make us up into fully-rounded Christians.

Christmas Eve

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We’re almost there. The hustle and bustle, the shopping, the cooking are over, while children wait for Father Christmas and we may be able to attend a Christmas Eve service’ The time that mankind has been waiting for is here.. Tomorrow we will celebrate the birth of our Saviour. It is a pivotal event in the whole of creation. It was planned from the beginning of existence.. It is the time when salvation is coming to the world and to us personally.

Let us worship with the shepherd, sing with the angels and give with the kings. Every carol joyfully announces the fact ‘Jesus Christ is born.’ We are thankful that our joy is not just for these couple of days but for eternity. We are included in the celebration here and in heaven. Heaven will be rejoicing all over again ‘Angels voices ever singing’. How many Christmases have you known? The wonder is not something that fades with time. God was made man for us, no praise to Him is too great, ‘Man can live for evermore because of Christmas. Day’.

Carols

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There are no words more authoritative than the words in the Bible but at this time of year we have the chance to sing carols old and new, using words which for the most part are based on the Bible. King David loved to sing and even today we can read these songs in the form of the Psalms. There is something special about singing. It stimulates the realise of feel-good hormones , dopamine and serotonin, lowers stress levels, and blood pressure and remembering activates the brain. And most of all we enjoy it. Carol services are very popular, attended by people who have a faith as well as those who don’t.

Every part of the Christmas story is illustrated through carols.. The shepherds are well represented ‘While shepherds watched their flock by night, all seated on the ground, Tate. And ‘Hark, the herald-angels sing, glory to the new-born King,’ Charles Wesley. Children are not forgotten with the carol ‘Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.’ Martin Luther.

It’s a shame we only sing the carols at Christmas, the words are worthy of remembering all the year round and not just for a few days. The carol ‘Mary’s Boy Child tell us ‘Man can live for evermore because of Christmas Day.’

Cutting or Pruning

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However many times I read from the Bible I’m amazed at the new things I find. I’m either a sloppy reader in the first place or God illuminates passages to me when I’m ready or needing to hear them. John 15 is one example. I read this morning ‘He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit. I had read that God would cut off branches in my life that were not fruitful and that was that. I now realise God does two different things, He cuts and He prunes, two different actions.

The branches in me that are rotten and deseased need to be cutout completely. Other branches can be saved by careful and loving pruning. If I have the branch of a spiteful tongue He will cut it out completely but replace with a loving, kind tongue which speaks His words of love and consideration. Should I suffer from laziness, that will have to go, but other branches He will be able to prune and shape. If I am mean with my money, He can prune to make me more generous. He can be severe or gentle just as I need it.

When I go round my small garden I snip, cut and re-shape as necessary. I don’t pull and burn any plant that is struggling. I need to show love in my garden. My e my garden my life can be beautiful through Christ.

There were shepherds

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‘There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby.’ Luke 2:8 These words hardly describe the conditions the men were living in, they were toughing it out in difficult circumstances. Having just experienced another storm in my country I have a glimpse of these harsh surroundings. We were advised to stay indoors because of the strong winds. So I was able to stay in the safety of my own home. Though I did give a thought to those who had to work out in the inclement weather. These shepherds had hardly any shelter. The nights were bitterly cold with the constant danger of wolves and wild animals. Huddled round the fire for warmth and safety, the language would have been spicy and the stories ribald. Shepherding wasn’t for wimps.

To add to their problems and discomfort there was suddenly a sky full of angels. Incredulity is too mild a word. Language silenced, stories forgotten, they had to go and see this phenomenon. No doubt they made provision for their sheep, which after all were their livelihood. They stomped down to the village and stood awkward and tongue-tied in front of the baby who was probably smaller than their lambs.

Then they walked out of the story and morphed into tea-towelled-headed children, but the shepherds lives would never be the same again. I wonder if they were still alive thirty-three years later . They would still remember. They had worshipped at the stable of the coming Messiah.

Hope, Peace, Joy, Love

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This is all we need for Christmas, the season which means so much for so many of us. If we are not careful we will be anxious about who to send cards and presents to and who will send to us. These gifts are important but not enough. Our Christmas faith is what is important. What to buy, what to cook, who has what allergies. Again important, but not central. Which services shall we attend or prepare? Church calendars are overflowing at this time. What or who is at the centre of our worship. God won’t mind if our choirs are under-rehearsed and out of tune; it’s peoples’ hearts He wants.

We need peace not as the world gives it. Whether it is the escalating wars round the world, or our increased suicide numbers, there is a distinct lack of peace. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. That baby in the manger is the much-needed Everlasting Peace.

Our idea of love can be distorted , sloppy, selfish, demanding or insincere. God’s love is the only true love as He sent His son on our behalf and atonement for our sins.

‘Joy to the world’, the carol tells us.Where is the joy in our family, our neighbourhood, country or the world? If there is joy in our hearts at this time, we need to show it. Not a grin on our faces but a deep-rooted sincere welling-up of happiness that only God can give.

Jesus is our Hope. Not a wishy-washy hope but a hope that transends everything, knowing God is in complete control. He will come again; He will take us to be with Him.